i replaced my opti, waterpump, sparkplug wires and also did a header swap. i just finished about 1 hour ago which is 5 a clock in the morning. after i put everything back together, i started the car. the damn thing wont start. so i let it sit there for 5 minutes, then i tried starting it again, i crank it for about 10 seconds, it still would not start, after i turned it off, i heard a loud BANG, and saw a red and blue flame from my Y pipe (CAT was still off). i re checked everything, and saw my waterpump is leaking from the right top bolt. i drained the radiator again, to prevent further leaking. what can caused this? i replaced my old opti with another used opti that i bought of a guy in this board. why wouldnt my car start? and why there's a back fire with flame?? my guess would be, they guy sold me a bad opti, or the waterpump leak for 30 minutes has done some major damage to the opti? i also not sure if i connect the wires correctly. on the driverside, the wires are 1,3,5,7 and on the passanger side 2,4,6,8. i connect it to the opti correctly. please help me, i dont have anymore money to buy some parts. if you have any ideas why this is happening, please tell me....thanks for reading

 

I dont know a lot about what could be wrong

I would double ck to see that the wires were all on right maybe you could trace the wires from the plug to the opti

Maybe you jumped timing ????? I can think of another reason why a car would backfire

 

Double check your wires.Also I would double check that your opti is installed right.If it is,I would suspect a faulty opti.As for the bolt leaking water,try some tread sealer on it and tighten it good.

 

I agree with the above and make sure you have all the plug wires going to the correct plug. On the opti theres numbers that say which plug wire needs to go where.

 

thanks guys, i need a diagram of sparkplug wires number on the engine. i'm not sure that i put it correctly from the opti to the plugs. i thought the number was

driver side from firewall
8
6
4
2

pass. side from firewall

7
5
3
1

is this correct?? please somebody help me. i'm gonna take my car apart again today. thanks

 

do you think it's ok to start the engine again? after i tighten all the waterpump bolt, and put some coolant in it again? i'm afraid i might have done some damage to the ignition system...thanks

 

Here's an Optispark map.

http://csce.uark.edu/~jgbertr/rb/opti.jpg

Thank Shoebox.

 

you won't do damage to the ignition system having them crossed to the plugs. And most likely its not a water related problem. It sounds like you either put the opti on wrong or plug wires are crossed. I'd check the firing order again....then look to the opti. Did you crank down the bolts to the opti to get it on or do you work with it until it slid on. You can't force them on....Good Luck!

 

i forgot. i think i slid it on. anytips on how to put the opti on correctly?? thanks guys....btw, can i try to crank the engine again with all this back fire????

 

thanks, and say thanks to shoebox. hopefully my opti is fine.

 

so were the plug wires your problem....we're they wrong? A few short cranks won't do anything more than kill your battery. But if it doesn't start right away something else is wrong and I wouldn't suggest that you keep trying to fire it up. These cars shouldn't really need any kinda starting fluid or whatever else you used. If they don't start, then 9 out of 10 times starting fluid is a waste of time and further troubleshooting is needed. If the plug wires are correct and you think you installed the opti correctly...then I'd go towards a faulty opti spark. Double and triple check you connections and firing order to save yourself from some extra headaches......good luck!

 

Just sent you an email... Based on what we talked about last night, I'd say the wires are correct on the plugs but not placed in the correct order on the Opti. Use Shoebox's Opti diagram to wire them up correctly at the Opti.

Hey, flames out the y-pipe... at least you know your headers are on tight no flames off the header flange!

 

i put the wires correctly on the opti. i'll double check on the again today. hopefully that's the cause. if it is a faulty opti, than the guy that sold me this opti has ripped me off then....

 

If the Opti is theoretically good and wired properly... double check all of the connections/hoses/wires that may have been moved or removed during the header swap. Something may have been bumped loose...

 

he said that the opti is in perfect condition, so i would assume it is. i'll double check everything again today. i'll be doing my friends header swap today, so i'll work on my car, while he works on his.....hopefully i got everything figured out today....thanks